The Strategist's Sonnet
by PurpleNinjas7
Summary: After attacking the Northern Water Tribe with his relatively smaller fleet, Prince Zuko has captured a rather peculiar waterbender who he thinks can lead him to finding the Avatar. But there was a dark secret about this girl's past and supposed future, but amidst the ambiguity, her turmoil continues to devour her and the prince in its fury.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, as so with its characters.**

**Hey, so, this is my first ATLA fanfic, and my first chapter fic on and I am so excited to finally have this thing underway. School's starting soon, and I'm just as eager as to get back on my writing skills. Currently, I have a fic ongoing at about Moriarty, so, if you would like to check it out, before I publish it here, thank you. Anyway, on to the story! :D Constructive criticism is always welcome. :)**

* * *

I never liked being underestimated, I hated the fact that my father continually treats me like a child. Here's the thing, I'm not a child anymore and yet, he still pushes through with the idea of letting me sit this one out. I was to attend a war meeting, today, but, as usual, my father had insisted that I be sent to my room.

I stared out the window, meeting the gaze of the river that flowed through the city, and the towering houses that were made of ice blocks._ Joys of being a monarch, I guess, _I thought. Don't get me wrong, I loved my kingdom, but sometimes, I can't help but pity my people, who are still suffering from...the war. We've been suffering since my great grandfather's reign, many have passed and many are still on that road. Who am I kidding? I'm a princess, obviously, I won't be able to join the front line, if ever there is a siege. I'll probably be stuck in my father's throne room, getting updates on how many of our men are killed, or how many of our men luckily survived.

I didn't like the princess stereotype, unlike my predecessors, I didn't believe that a princess is required to be prim, proper and idle. I was the complete opposite of that prejudice, I was loud, rambunctious and bold, sometimes, my father would even suggest that my attitude was "too Fire Nation" for my people. I knew some courtiers hated me for my behaviour, but, I didn't show any concern whatsoever for this matter. I knew who I was, and I knew how my personality carries my position and my name.

"Princess Lyra," a silky voice called out to me, snapping me out of my trance. "I know you must be upset." Great, sympathy, just what I needed right now. I rolled my eyes and turned around to see my handmaid Farrah. "Your father just wanted to guarantee your safety, we all know how-"

"Impulsive I am?" I provided, Farrah nodded silently before sitting down next to me over by the windowsill. This was our drill, I would get upset, Farrah would find out, I would storm to my room, and my twelve year old handmaid would follow me. Despite the four year age difference between us, Farrah understood me and my struggles. She understood how things were hard on me, she understood why I keep this hard exterior.

"You're just like my brother, always too brave I know how much you care for the sovereign state, but, you have to understand that being a princess means that you have to be here for your people." I know. "It's only been a few hours since we saw the soot, your Highness. It's best if you rest, first."

"But, I'm not tired," I pouted before looking out the window again. "I need to be involved in this, they're my people, too." A knock was heard on the door, and I saw the silhouette of my father, the king of the tribe, the glorious general that overthrew the previous king, the ruthless warrior that saved the tribe from the last Fire Nation raid. I looked away haughtily, causing my father to step closer, usually this would strike a tiny bit of fear upon a servant, but, I wasn't a servant, and I wasn't afraid of my father.

"You have to understand why I'm letting you sit this one out," He said. "I can't risk the safety of the heir who is next in line. Your sister has agreed to remain in the palace, why are you even pursuing this, Lyra?"

"Because they're my people, too, Father," I replied. He looked away, in a manner that would say that he is ashamed of me. I know he is, actually. Ever since my little sister was born, I was cast out into the shade, because of her waterbending prowess, here's the catch, she was better than me. She's a prodigy, I'm not. Even though, we love each other, and we get along, I can't help but feel slightly inferior towards her. Suitors from all over our tribe would flock at our palace to hopefully be proud to call her their wife. I lived under the shade of my sister's glory, and fame. I was the firstborn, in the eyes of the people, but my sister was renowned as the prodigious warrior princess. On the other hand, I was the tactician, I was the genius behind the army, I worked behind the scenes, while she takes the stage that I set for her. I loved being the strategist, but, I hated not getting the same amount of glory in comparison to my sister's.

"You will stay here, while the siege is ongoing, you will not leave your room, until my say-so," He sternly commanded me before standing up. Farrah followed suit and I was alone in my room, or in more accurate terms, my prison. I grit my teeth and I bit my tongue, to keep myself from crying out loud, and destroying everything in my room. I hate this. I hate that I'm always belittled by my father. I looked out the window once more, and I thought of the craziest thing possible, I'm gonna join the fight, I can just climb out, and dive in the water, I _am _a pretty good swimmer compared to my sister, Prima. But, one question continued to ring in my mind. _What if I don't make it back, won't it be selfish on behalf of my people?_ I'm risking my life, and my bloodline just to be able to prove something to my father.

But, I had to do this. I needed this. What kind of queen doesn't have military achievements that involved her leading her troops to victory? I needed to gain my honor. I began writing a letter to my sister and my father:

_To my dearest father and Yuri-_

_I have to gain my honor. Be back after the siege. I know I haven't been the perfect kid, but, maybe this might help me become a more effective leader, like you, father. Yuri, know that I love you, and I'm sorry for disobeying you, I know that you might start looking for me, but, please don't, I can't bear to bring you into my mess. Take care of the kingdom for me. I am not in the position to tell you which part of the city I will be fighting in, so, don't bother finding me. I'll be back soon. _

_Lyra_

I put on my war face paint, and I left the note at my dresser. I grabbed my sword and I secured it on my belt. I grabbed my knapsack, that had a bit of bread and chi stimulants. I was tempted to pick up a picture of my mother, but, I didn't dare to. I didn't need sentimental weight. War didn't hold sentiment, it's eat or be eaten.

I took one last look of my room, and a smile crept on my face as I scurried out, and augmented the water from the river to rise, to give me a softer impact on the water, to avoid detection. As soon as I hit the water, I began swimming at the direction of the Northern wall, where the ocean flowed into the city, I knew this was the first impact point, there was no other offensive point but from the north, then, the ships will most likely dock at the wall, and the soldiers will infiltrate the city, then, they'll lay waste to the palace.

That was the only explanation, right? There was no other way to make the capitol fall but to lower its defenses by destroying the wall. I went up for air, and before I knew it, I already heard explosions. How foolish, attacking waterbenders during night time? Now, that was the most stupid tactic anyone can ever think about. I went onto shore, and I ran towards the wall, I climbed up to see our warriors already holding off three ships. "What are you doing here? We're too many, if we go overboard with this offensive assault, there'll be no more defense for the city! Get back there!" The hypothetical captain of this league said. But hey, I needed to be here too. This was the only way I can calculate the amount of time we'll be needing to set up defenses in the palace. _Or you just want to fight?_ Well, maybe.

"Orders from the king, they said they needed one more man for this side of the city," I said, they nodded, apprehensively, and I set to work. This was gonna be a long night, I could easily deduce that. This siege isn't a ball of some sort, it's an all out battle between my tribe and the Fire Nation. I had to survive this, and maybe, just maybe, I can bring honor to my god-forsaken name. "Or I could just tell the king that you're not going to obey his orders," I said whilst walking away from the two men.

The two men looked at each other, petrified at the remark, upon a silent agreement, the more built man replied, "Fine, you can stay, just don't tell the king about this exchange, understand?" I held back the beam on my lips, and nodded, in a stoic manner. "Okay, so, we have to-"

"Strengthen the defenses, meaning to say-strengthen the wall," I cut in. He nodded and I smiled inwardly. I knew I was meant for this job, I always knew those Pai Sho games with Master Pakku have been worth it. "So, how do we do that before sunrise?"

"We can't, that's the problem, the ice blocks are bound to collapse, and the snow will be an either weaker defense system, we need other sorts of material for the wall, and we've been at it for an hour now, and nothing's come up yet." I looked at the wall, and judging by the cracks made earlier by the first ship, it can be said that the wall will not hold on much longer after another long-ranged explosion. "We have to think of something, quickly."

_I knew that, _I thought sarcastically.

* * *

"I want a full report, now," A very husky-voiced man commanded. The lieutenant in his presence trembled in fear. "What's their plan?" The helmsman climbed down from his post at the top of the ship's watch-tower, with a telescope and cut in before the petrified lieutenant can even speak.

"It seems as if they want to rebuild the wall, sir. The first blow was fatal, since it hit at the base of the wall, I'm guessing they're going to make repairs." The man in the shadows huffed, to signal that he understood, and that the helmsman is to return to his post immediately to keep an eye on the enemy line.

"I'm surprised they aren't attacking, it's the full moon," The man whispered to the air, only to have an unexpected reply from a much older man, his voice weary from the ordeal of waking up on a rather hard bunk bed in his quarters down below deck. "But then again, my prince, the water tribe is wise, and full of surprises. You never know when their next move is, or _what_ it is, for that matter."

"This time's different, they're rebuilding the wall. They're not focusing on attacking, it's as if they're giving us a chance to turn back now." A hand rested upon his shoulder, and he turned around to see the older man looking at him concernedly. "Uncle, we've scoured three Air temples, it's time we head to the water tribe. The Avatar needs to master all four elements, and it seems as if he is not focusing on his airbending."

"Prince Zuko, it's only been two weeks since your banishment. Like I told you in the Western Air Temple, a week ago, give yourself a break, allow yourself to heal," The man, now identified as the great General Iroh who led his troops to bring down Ba Sing Se's walls, judging from his older appearance, marked by his grey hair, wrinkled face and weight addition. "I know you are desperate to go home, with the Avatar in chains, Prince Zuko, but this will surely take a toll on your emotional and physical health, you must rest." The prince's eyes widened in disgust, he retorted, quite shrewdly at his Uncle's advice.

"I'm tired of resting, my burn is nearly healed, and before we know it, we'll be going home. But then again, I know the exact reason for your laziness, after all, you _did_ abandon the siege of Ba Sing Se, years ago." Iroh turned away, disappointed at how his nephew sees him, and albeit, how the whole Fire Nation sees him. Iroh has gained a reputation of dishonorable service towards the home land, upon his retreat from Ba Sing Se, he had lost his son, and people have criticized him for it, mocked him for his alleged weakness. But, Iroh has been a fearsome general in his younger years, when he was still a slave to his country's ruthlessness and violence, but now, retirement has softened his once hard soul and here he is now, travelling with a banished Prince that had a mark on his face to prove it. "You were a disgrace to the army, and apparently, you still are."

"Sir, should we advance?" The lieutenant finally spoke, with a tiny ounce of confidence dripping from his tone. "They're not attacking, anyway." Iroh looked at Zuko with a look that could bring the glaciers crumbling into the water, due to intimidation. Zuko was strong, however, and resilient. He merely looked away from his Uncle's intimidating and, at the same time, expectant gaze and looked on to the city of the Northern Water Tribe. _This may be my only chance to find the Avatar, if I don't, maybe there's a source that can lead me to him_, Zuko thought.

"Prince Zuko, if we attack now, they will be forced to attack, and the three ships that we are sending to the outskirts of the city will be battered, it's best if we wait, until the sun rises." Zuko thought about this offer, his uncle did have point, _no matter how utterly annoying he is, _Zuko grumbled.

"Fine, lower the anchor, we're resting for the night, keep an eye out for attackers," Zuko retired to his chambers, he took off his shoulder armor and the rest of his outerwear and laid on the bed that night. So far, this prince had a tough life. After his banishment, Zuko had been condemned to scour the world in search of the Avatar, after receiving a messenger hawk that said so, the banished monarch was, in a way, filled with hope, that he may be able to return home, reclaim his throne, and restore his honor. However, this new-found hope had been illustrated, in the eyes of others, as utter madness. The Avatar died 100 years ago, during the Air Nomad genocide, conducted by the now-deceased Fire Lord Sozin. In the galleys below, the crew would sometimes talk about how Zuko was crazy, thinking that his father will take him back into the palace upon finding someone who died or perchance, never even existed. However, Zuko knew better, at times, he would choose to ignore these remarks, and at other times, he would instantly yell at the person responsible for the mockery made upon his situation.

He didn't deserve this. All he wanted was to protect those men that were to be sent to war without proper , he spoke out of turn, during the war meeting, thus, resulting to the Agni Kai that he was put through. To his surprise, the prince was greeted by his father on the other side of the dueling match, refusing to fight, his father had taken the chance to teach his son a permanent lesson on his face, marking his, as said earlier, banishment. illegitimacy as the heir to the throne and dishonor.

"It's my only chance," He murmured to nobody in particular. Finding the Avatar would require sources, to hopefully narrow down the search area, to either a small kingdom, or a town, but for now, his goal was to look for the Avatar in the Northern Water Tribe. Hours passed, and Zuko had still not fallen into slumber's grasp, so, after ten more minutes of tossing and turning, he rose from the bed, and put on his armor, once more, he sneaked out into the hallway, carefully tiptoeing across his Uncle's room, and going to the launching point of a lifeboat, carefully slipping in, he stealthily lowered himself closer to the water. If he needed to wait until sunrise, he would go crazy with anxiousness. _I'll come back anyway, I just need to inspect the area. _Continuing with his ordeal, he lifted his hood onto his head, and upon reaching contact with the water, he shivered, due to the icy air. He began paddling, towards the wall, foolishly, as he saw that a girl was on patrol at the top of the wall, he rowed to the hole in the base of the wall, and climbed in, only to be greeted by the lower side of the city.

And in that moment, Prince Zuko realized that he was lost.

* * *

I continued to look at the anchored ships, in the horizon, as I kept watch. The two guys decided to look for supplies in the city, hopefully, more ice blocks and snow cement. I have never felt this...liberated, and powerful. Standing on the outer wall's landing made me feel like Yuri, and how she was usually here with the other warriors, manipulating waves of water, to crash into the invader's vessels. I heard footsteps behind me, and I whirled around, "Guys?" I called out. Well, I haven't exactly asked them their name yet. Knowing that the ships wouldn't be moving anytime soon, I walked towards the stairs of the wall tower. "Guys, did you get the things we needed?"

I kept walking towards the stairs, until I stopped abruptly, after hearing more footsteps, coming from the bottom of the stairs, I took out my sword, protectively. They weren't replying, so, obviously, these footsteps didn't belong to the two men that were with her, just a few minutes ago. I walked down the stairs, and bumped into a figure, one that was slightly taller than my stature, the wall tower was dark, and the lamp was not lit, therefore, I raised my sword, only to have it thrown off my hand, by a strong kick to its blade. It fell down the stairs, and I did the worst thing I could do- raise my hands in a waterbending stance. "No, I didn't get the things you needed, but, I got what I needed, princess."

"How do you know who I am?"

"Your birthmark," The voice scoffed condescendingly. All the royals in the water tribe had the mark, and it had been renowned all over the world, as it was amazingly passed down from generation to generation for easier identification of members of the royal family "Now, do we have to do this the hard way or the easy way?" I attempted to do the water whip, only to have it pathetically slap me in the face. "You need to work on that." He grabbed me roughly and I kicked him in the groin, before continuing down the stairs, to retrieve my sword, and get help, only to be pulled back by my hair, that was now tangled in his fingers. "That isn't enough to escape." And before I knew it, I was engulfed in darkness.

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**Woohoo. That went, surprisingly, well. Feedback is highly appreciated! Anyway, I update every Friday, so, expect that my updates will be weekly, but since, I don't have school today, the next chapter might be up in 2-3 hours, so, watch out for that. Mehehehe. Follow, comment and review, please. But most of all, enjoy the story! :D**

**Respect each other in the comments, and please, at all times, remain civil and well-mannered. :)**

**Thanks lovelies!**

-M


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